Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-06-04
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N.HiStorz, of: Nd2ehture
By ]. RIDER HAeeARD.
CHAPTER XII.
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"SHEn
The FIRST caro- OF Job and myself after sec
ing to Leo, was to wash ourselves and put on
clean clothing, for what we were wearing
had not been changed since tho loss
OF the dhow, Fortunately, as / think that
have said, by far the greater part of
our personal baggage had already been packed
into the whaleboat and was therefore saved
and brought hther by the bearers although
all the stores laid in by us for barter and
| presents to the natives were lost. Nearly all
our clothing was mado of u well shrunk and
very strong gray flannel, and excellent I
found it for travelling i'll those places, because
though Norfoll; jacket shirt and pair of
trousers Of it only weighed about four pounds
u great consideration In a tropical country,
where overy extra ounce tells on the wcarer-
it was warm, aud offered good resistance to
the rays Of the sun, md best of all TO chills,
which are SO apt 10 result from sudden
changes of temperature.
Never shall | forget the comfort OF tho
wash and brush up, and those clean fiannels.
The only thing that was wanting to complete
my joy was cake Of soap, of which wo had
none
Afterward discovered that the Amahag-
ger, who do not reckon dirt among their
many disagreeable qualities, use kind of
burned earth for washing purposes, which,
though unpleasant to tho touch till one gets
accustomed to it, forms very fair substitute
for soap.
By the time that was dressed, and had
combed and trimmed my black beard, the
previous condition of which was certainly
sufficiently unEempt TO give weight to Billa-
lis appelation for me, the Baboon, / began TO
feel most uncommonly hungry. Therefore
was by no means sorry when, without the
slightest preparatory sound or warning. the
curtain over the entrance to my cave was
dung aside, and another nute, young girl
Ibis time, announced to mo by signs that l
could not misunderstand- that is, by opening
her mouth ard pointing down it--that there
was something ready to eat Accordingly ]
followed her into the next chamber, which
we had not yet entered, where found Job,
who had also, to his great embarrassment,
been conducted thither by fair mute. Jot
had never got over the advances the former
: lady had made to him, and suspected every
girl who came near to him Of similar designs
Those young parties have way OF looking
It one, sir" he would say, apo!ogeticaly
which l don't call respectable"
This fresh room was twice the size of thu
sleeping caves, and saw at once that 1t hac
originally served ns a rcfectory, and also
probably as an embalming room for the
priests Of the dead for may as well say o.
once these followed out caves wero nothing
more or less than vast catacombs, Ia which
Tor tens Of ages the mortal remains of til,
, great extinct race whose monuments sur
rounded us had been first preserved, withan ar
and a completeness that have never since beei
equaled, and then hidden away for all time
On each side Of this rock chamber was long
solid stone table, about three feet wide By
three feet six in height, hewn out of the lv
ing rock, of which it had formed part, anc
was still attached to at thc bose. These table
wero slightly followed out or curved inward
20 give room for tho knees of ANY one sitting
on the stone ledge that had been cut for .
bench along the side Of the cavo at distanc,
of about two feet from them. Each of then
was 30 arranged that 1t ended right under
shaft pierced in tho rock for the admission O
light and air. On examining then, care
fully, however, I saw that there wa
difference between them that hat
at first escaped my attention, viz, tina
one Of the tables-thnt to the loft as W,
entered the cave--had eyident1y been used
not to eat on, but for the purpcss Of embalm
ing bodies That this was beyond all question
the case was clear from Gvo shallow dspres
lons IN the stone Of tho table, all shaped lik,
a human form, with o separate plac,
for the head to lie in, and a littl,
bridge to support the neck each depres
sion being of different si1e, so as to fl
bodies varying III stature from o full grown
man's TO small chill's, and with little hole.
bored ct intervals TO carry off fluid. And
indeed, II Ghy further confirmation was re
quired one had but to look at the wall OF the
cave above to End it. For there, sculptured
all around the apartment, and looking nearly
as fresh as the 6ay it was done, was the
pictorial Representations of the death, embalm-
ing and burial of afs old man with a long
beard, probably az ancient king on grandca
Of this country.
The first picture represented his death. He
was lying upon couch which md four Snort
curved posts at the corners, coming to knob
at the end. in appearance something like a
written note of music, and was evidently in
the very act of expiring. Gathered round
the couch were women and children weeping.
the former with their hair hanging down
their back. The next scene represented the
embalning of tho body, which lay nude upon
1 table with depressiOns in it similar to the
one before us; probably, indeed, it was
picture of the same table Three men were
employed ut the worlr-ohe experimenting,
one holding q funnel shaped exactly like
] port wine strainer, of which the narrow end
was fixed in IA incision in the breast, no
doubt in the great pectoral artery, while the
third, who WAS represented as standing